£803.30 (inc Vat)You save 10%CruxTorpedo 900
The Crux Torpedo 900 is a waterproff sleeping bag designed for summer mountaineering up to 7500m, and 4 season to 6500m. 850 fill power Polish goose down creates a comfort rating of -8C and lower limit of -18C ...

£714.76 (inc Vat)You save 10%CruxTorpedo 700
The Crux Torpedo 700 is designed for summer mountaineering up to 6000m, and 4 season to 5000m. 850 fill power Polish goose down creates a comfort rating of -4C and lower limit of -11C (EN13537).

£439.97 (inc Vat)You save 10%Western MountaineeringUltraLite
This 3 season down sleeping bag comes in 3 lengths and is rated is down to -7C! It is of a roomy design so despite this being a super light bag it shouldn't feel restrictive for most people.

Sleeping Bags

Sleeping bags do the most simple of jobs - keep you warm at night. They allow you to sleep by keeping your body at a comfortable temperature by trapping air around you, and wrapping you in insulated material. Down is such a good insulating material because the fluff traps a lot of air. The temperature at which a body will sleep comfortably varies between different people depending on level of fitness, energy reserves (when you last ate), etc, etc. This is all complicated by the fact that our climate varies enormously.

Whilst a sleeping bag will keep you warm in general terms, it is not great at protecting you from the cold ground as your body squashes the insulation when you lie on it. This is where sleeping mats come into play.

To cope with these various needs we at Up and Under have selected the best options from a range of synthetic and down sleeping bags, closed-cell foam and self-inflating matresses. We also stock a range of replacement stuff sacks, waterproof pack liners and compression sacks to keep your bag dry, and down wash for cleaning your lovely down sleeping bag.

Bag / Mat Combination

Which sleeping bag and mat combination is for me?

When and where are you going? How high up will you be? How far do you have carry everything? How knackered will you be when you get there? Are you likely to get very wet?

Temperature Ratings

In the UK you can pretty much expect to encounter close to freezing conditions at any time of the year (ask anyone who has hiked on Dartmoor, frost in early summer is not uncommon), but rather than getting the bag that is going to suit this one occassion, buy one that will be ideal for you the majority of the time, and wear a few items of clothing in rare colder cases or get a fleece sleeping bag liner to add a season when necessary. In summer at low level it may be possible to use bags rated for only one or two seasons but as altitude is gained, warmer gear should be considered.

In terms of seasons the following is what is generally meant in terms of average temperatures.

Season

1 (Summer)

2 (Spring-Summer)

3 (Spring-Autumn)

4 (Winter)

5 (Expedition)

Rating (°C)

+5

0

-5

-10

-15

Main Use

Warm travel

Camping May-Oct

Allround

Year-round UK

High altitude and polar

Although the bags are grouped into seasons we feel that this is somewhat misleading, particularly in the UK, as the conditions experienced throughout the year vary greatly from area to area throughout the country. For instance a three season bag would generally be acceptable here in South Wales for year round use. However, the same could not be said in the Cairngorms.

Manufacturer's Temperature Ratings

Each manufacturer tends to use separate human field testers and also separate laboratory testing agents. This alone tends to make comparisons subjective, especially as each tester is somewhat biased towards keeping their job.

There has been a recognised series of tests that all bag manufacturers can subject their bags too. This combination of ISO 11079, TOG testing and field testing has been around for some time. Recently another stand alone test has been created - EN13537. These tests differ significantly and whilst some manufacturers are giving information produced by the new tests on their goods many are still going with their own ratings. We feel that the results produced by EN13537 are generally no better than the preceeding tests and not much better than manufacturer generated values as the test has a number of questionable areas. Here are a couple of the main problems with EN13537:

The base mat that the test is conducted upon has a comfort temperature of around -7 degrees C and therefore influences the results of different temperature bags in different ways (summer bags performance is improved and winter bag performance reduced)

As can be seen the test doesn't work for winter bags which is the most important area to be confident about as failure here is more likely to cause death or injury

There is no use of reference materials in the tests to check whether the results are accurate (a standard requirement of good scientific analysis)

Be aware that the extreme temperature rating given means frost bite likely but death unlikely, so it really isn't something you want to do!

As a result of these problems we have been forced to conduct our own field tests. Although somewhat crude, we attempted to use standardized conditions and ensure the person in question had completed a similar amount of exercise and had eaten a similar amount before going to bed. In some cases the tester was woken in the night to change from one bag to another. The tests were all done in a small backpacking tent with two people in it. Clothing worn was just a T-shirt and underpants, if extra thermals or fleeces needed to be worn to stay warm then this was deemed to be the extreme temperature rating not a comfort rating. The temperature given was measured inside the tent and was generaly found to be about 5°C higher than that outside.

Our pop-out sleeping bag comparison chart

When choosing the right bag for you it is very important to take into account your own body's reaction to low temperatures. Some people can't sleep under more than a sheet in summer and some need a full down duvet. If you are one of the latter then get a bag with a rating 5°C or even 10°C lower than our comfort ratings would suggest that you need. If you will be using this high up then go a bit colder still. However, we know of a very well respected mountain guide who bivis in a 3 season bag in comfort in the Alps in conditions which would leave most climbers heading for the nearest bar. There is a small element of skill to staying warm in a sleeping bag, here are some tips. Eat before you go to bed - you generate warmth when digesting food. Try to go to bed warm - so make an effort not to get cold while pitching camp and cooking, and if you do, then a run around the tent after taking that last pee may help. If you think you might be cold wear a hat and have extra clothing to hand.

Down versus Synthetic Fillings

Down has warmth-to-weight and pack size ratios far in excess of even the best quality synthetic bags. So why do synthetic bags exist at all? The first and most important reason is cost. Synthetic inculation is much cheaper to produce than down. The second is, what happens when you get your bag wet? This is where down encounters a problem; once it reaches a certain point, the amount of water involved makes it collapse. This dosen't harm it long term but does reduce its insulating properties to nil. Water dosen't have anything like as severe an effect on synthetic fills, but it's still worth taking stringent measures to keep your sleeping bag dry whatever it's made from.

So to sum up: If you are on a budget, then buy synthetic. If pack size or weight are key issues buy down. If all your kit is going to get soaked, then buy good quality synthetic. But if you like to sleep in the soft fluffy zone buy down.

Down Bags

The best quality down sleeping bags in the world come from two sources- Rab and Tundra. Rab's tried and tested Quantum ultralight and Summit mountaineering ranges lead the expedition bag industry. New on the market and a significant step forward is the range from Tundra, who not only use the best down available, but also collect it ethically!

We also stock a range of down bags from Nanok, for well-priced lightweight backpacking.

Synthetic Bags

Take a look at Nanok for the best thought-out synthetic bags around. We also stock long term favourites from Ajungilak and Snugpak for good warmth-to-weight ratios. For those requiring a reasonable warmth to weight and pack size ratio but with budget constraints our range from Haglofs is worth noting, but if you are on a strict budget, try Aztec.

We are delighted to invite all members of Walking the Brecon Beacons Facebook group on May 3rd to a jam-packed day full of talks from Up and Under staff and WTBB guru and renowned International Mountain Leader, Alan Ward. If that's not enough to "peak" your interested - see what I did there - from 12-8pm you can benefit from special discounts and get the opportunity to quiz Alan after 2pm on anything from trekking and travelling through countries such as Nepal, India, Morocco, Indonesia, Peru, Chile and China, to Mountain Training and National Navigation Award Scheme training courses.More on Walking The Brecon Beacons Buy and Talk Day »